Farmers' Group: "The Core of LH Speculation is Farmland Speculation... The State Must Purchase Illegal Farmland"

"Constitution Must Uphold the 'Principle of Cultivating One's Own Land'"
4 out of 10 Senior Officials in Moon Jae-in Government Hold Farmland

Saplings were planted on the 10th on a piece of land in Gwarim-dong, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, where allegations of land speculation by some employees of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in the Gwangmyeong and Siheung new towns have been raised.
Siheung - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

As suspicions of land speculation involving employees of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in the 3rd New Town development expand, farmers' organizations on the 10th demanded that the government investigate the actual status of farmland ownership by non-farmers and forcibly purchase illegal farmland.

The farmers' organization 'Farmers' Path,' composed of six groups, held a press conference related to LH employees' farmland speculation at the fountain square in front of the Blue House on the same day, stating, "The core of land speculation is farmland speculation," and shouted, "Conduct a full survey of farmland usage and have the state purchase illegally owned farmland."

They first pointed out that the core issue of this incident lies in the current legal system, which tacitly allows partial destruction of farmland and encourages speculation.

Farmers' Path said, "The Constitution stipulates the principle of 'Gyeongja Yujeon,' which allows only farmers who cultivate the land to own farmland, but the Farmland Act includes exceptions that allow anyone to own farmland by simply submitting a farming plan," adding, "The subordinate laws not only violate the Constitution but also do not verify actual farming later, causing the law to turn farmland into a target for profit-driven speculation."

They demanded, "The definition of farmers should be clarified, and only farmers who cultivate the land should be allowed to own farmland," urging, "Revise the Farmland Act entirely to align with the spirit of the Constitution." They further emphasized, "Conduct a full survey of farmland ownership and usage, and for farmland owned by non-farmers, the state should purchase plots suspected of speculation at the publicly announced land price, and others at market price, thereby enhancing the public nature of farmland."

There are numerous 'fake farmers' among the high-ranking public officials and the National Assembly.

According to the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), one in four members of the National Assembly owns farmland in their own or their spouse's name. According to the 'Status of Farmland Ownership of 300 21st National Assembly Members' data released by CCEJ in February, 76 out of 300 members (25.3%) owned farmland. The total farmland area owned was approximately 399,193㎡ (about 120,968 pyeong), averaging 5,253㎡ (about 1,592 pyeong) per person.

Among high-ranking government officials, farmland ownership was also widespread. CCEJ surveyed 1,862 out of 1,865 government high-ranking officials subject to the Government Official Ethics Committee's 'Regular Asset Change Disclosure' as of last October and found that 719 (38.6%) owned farmland as of March. The total farmland area they owned reached 311 hectares (about 942,000 pyeong).

In the political arena, controversy is ongoing over President Moon Jae-in's alleged illegal acquisition of farmland. On the 9th, Ahn Byung-gil, a member of the People Power Party, criticized President Moon's purchase of a residence site in Habu-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongnam Province, stating, "The agricultural management plan stated 11 years of farming experience, but it was asphalt," and questioned, "How is this different from LH employees who submitted false plans and acquired farmland for speculation?"

In response, the Blue House dismissed the allegations as "groundless." Spokesperson Kang Min-seok stated in a written briefing that there was "no illegality or irregularity" regarding the president's residence relocation and land purchase. Kang explained, "The purchase is being conducted legally in accordance with the Farmland Act and related laws and procedures," adding, "It is no different from the process that citizens go through when preparing for returning to farming or rural living."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.